Bias woven narrow fabric



Filed July 21 INVNTOR.

Wmv/Y- Ma Patented Feb. 9, l954 BIAS wovEN NARaoW FABRIC Herman P. Welch, Union City, Ind., assigner to l Backstay Welt Company, Union City, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application July 21, 1950, Serial N0. 175,165

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to coated fabrics and its principal object is to produce a bias woven narrow strip of such fabric in indefinite length.

The invention constitutes an improvement over the subject matter of U. S. Patent No. 2,059,792, issued November 3, 1936, to the present assignee by assignment from Clarence B. Hill.

As explained in the Hill patent, narrow strips of fabric coated with pyroxylin or analogous material are extensively used in the making of welts, gimps, bindings and related articles in which it is necessary to dispose the article, and hence the narrow strip, around turns of short radius in the plane of the strip. To negotiate such turns without objectionable kinking or puckering, it is necessary that the textile fabric which comprises the body of the strip and serves as the foundation or backing for the surface coating be woven or. cut on the bias. This means that the threads are arranged at substantially forty-five degrees to thelengthwise edges of the strip, which greatly facilitates smooth bending or curving `the strip. It is impractical to weave on the bias, and difiiculties are presented when square woven cloth is bias cut because it then becomes necessary to sew or otherwise fasten the ends of the cut sections together to produce the necessary strip of long or indenite length. It is necessary to join sections together because the diagonal cutting of a iiat sheet woven as wide as the loom will permit results in separate strips which are much too short to be used commercially in welt, gimp or binding making where economical operation of the machines and the demands of the trade require that the product be made `in uninterrupted lengths of a hundred yards or more.

The subject of the Hill patent, and other methods which have been practiced or attempted to be practiced in this art, involve cutting the flat yard goods diagonally and thereafter sewing the resultant strips end to end. The present invention provides an improvement which comprises rst sewing the yard goods into tubular form,` then applying an adhesive or cement to the joint, and thereafter spirally cutting the tube to peel off from it a continuous, uninterrupted narrow strip in which the threads cross each other on the bias and which is characterized by regularly spaced diagonally extending joints which are secure and inconspicuous.

v To this end the invention comprises, in certain preferred forms of embodiment, the method and the product which are illustrated in the accom- 2 panying drawing and which are defined by the appended claims. But the invention is to be understood as not limited to these specific embodiments, since it is capable of being practiced otherwise Within the scope of the claims.

Referring to the drawing,

Figure l is a perspective view of a piece-of coated yard goods with its longitudinal margins folded over on to each other and sewed together in accordance with the first step of the method;

Fig. 2 is a perspectiveview of the material of Fig. l with the edges of the material at the seam foldedA back on the body of the goods and cemented thereto, in accordance with the second step oi the method;

Fig. 3 is a similar View showing how the strip of bias woven material is spirally cut from the tubular body;

Fig. i is a top plan view of a short length of the final product showing one of the joints therein;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the length shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view, taken on the line t--E of Fig. 4, greatly enlarged and somewhat distorted to show clearly the relationship of the parts at the joint. I

In these drawings the reference numeral I designates a strip of yard goods of square woven coatedmaterial which has been folded along its longitudinal center line to bring its lengthwise edges in accurately superposed relation for joining in a lap seam by means of a line of stitching 2. The material is available from the looms and coating machines in wide strips of great length. The product is the kind commonly called imitation leather, having on one side a surface coating of pyroxylin, rubber, vinyl compound or the like, producing a hard permanent finish which may be of any color and may be glossy or dull, or grained to simulate natural leather or to provide any other ornamental appearance within a Wide range 'of selection.

The coating is carried by only one of the two surfaces of material, designated the surface 3 in the drawing. 'Ihe back surface of the material, designated is commonly left unfinished or uncoated because it is not exposed or visible in any of the numerous uses to which the product is ultimately put.

This coated material is available in widths equal to the capacity of ordinary looms on which the basic textile material is woven. Since the original material is necessarily square woven, it is Vnecessary to cut it diagonally, at approximate- 1y 45, to produce from it narrow strips of bias weave. It will be evident that, assuming the coated sheet material to be sixty inches in width, a strip out at 45 from it will be only approximately eighty-iive inches long. Splicing such strips end to end, as propsed by the Hill patent and by other prior art methods, requires a separate stitehingforfother splicing operation' to be performed at eighty-ve inch: intervals. Theexpense of such operations is considerable, and unless particular care is taken to provide anunusually strong kind of seam or splioeiy there..-h sulting joints are weak and the product is th'us objectionable.

The present invention provides-a superior*jointY and enables it to be made Without a special operation at the adjacent ends o-.eaeh two lengths of cut strip material.

After the material has been folded, witlritsV coated side 3 innermost,;.,and srtohed along the line Zslightlyiinwardm romiits oveitlafppinggmarf gins, 5, as.;slio.vfn 1, the'= margins 5* arefturnedizbaee on itherbody.; of: the material in-V wardlyi` of line of:stitching;2f` and are.- adhesively secured to the body; by'. an application of; rubber cement, pyroxylin,. vinyly compound.v or the like;` designated ii; piteierabiy using, the same leinidziy off' coating compositioir.- as appliedf= to the original *.rnaterial. Thisfi'esuiltsnin-.tiie interemediatef-.piroduet which; isi-shown: in Figc. 2 ex pandedior; opened; un' to. tubular form; substantially-oirculaiz inl cross section.

The: nement4 used in.bondingthe margins E i'seapplied: liberally.: betweernthe. -inarginsfanditirebody of the fabric, over the merg-inse and: over the adjavzzent4 zone;4 of; the. body,r and. down in thef` crevice anminto; and.; through.v the: line of stitching 2, all as is attempted tolse-indicated; inzF-igs; 2.andz16; Inasmuehuasthe cement is applied tothebaciz sur-fasel of .thewmaterial`,. i. e., to the uneoated surface of the nal product' whiclnwillinot beexposed inrpuse; itv isf unnecessary to attempt to apply the-courentparticularly` neatly; or.-V to.z take. any: other precaution in respentA on appeaifa'nee.. Tbef-oementwhen .it hardenszprovides considerable; strueturaland; tensilel strength to the joint, andi fonfthis: reason it is. besttto' apply it liberally: and'` extensively over and' intofand; throught .the joint; Preferablythe cementl is appliedz-inusuch emisistencythat: some off. itwilli flow. through; thegjoint.' .and Lexudei onto. the vooatedrii'ontrsurfaeeiiao'rtlfierfabriei to provide: bodyzoi cement-lf. on thisffrontrsnrfaceijn theorevice. of; the j oint. and;- spreading; overn onto= the: abut-tingv margins;r ofithey material;` as; is". ata tempted to :be shown.-in fliligi;65:y

rEhe result of thesefopenationssis.-theffabviotube 3s shown: in Figi: 2e This; tube;r after.- the4 oementev has Isuitablyset, ,is out.v spirally; to: form strip 9., asA shown -in- Eig: 3; on a; plurality oi-.'such: str-ips. Thefoutting is performed.-noanuall'yA ormeehanioally, ,as by.; feedingfthef tubular; body over a mandrel or a suppontingeroller;and.rota+- ing-alz-nife. edge or a euttingrolhinoontaet with the. surface.. of the.- body.. The.outtingfline-:is made at. an angle otappnoximatelyA? to the.- lineI of. stitching. 2, or; tothe axisof. the: tubular. body, ThatisA to. say.'v Athe spiral: eutiis of. the-4 characterof ascrewthreadgliavinga .45?- pitch;

Whether or not a single strip l9;;oraa-plnralit-yj; ofparallel strips:-.-.be out-from.' the .body depends on` the diameter. oi. the.. body." in. relation to. the4 width..of-.the..strip desired.;A Ifas-.is: generallyz requiredthe lstripmeothe. order: of: .oneitoatwo inohesfwider andthe.V diameter. oil-tha tubular- .4 body be of the order of twenty inches, a plurality oi strips Si are out in parallelism because the longitudinal distance between convolutions of the same strip as it is out from the body is considerably greater than the strip width. In other words, a plurality of parallel strips of such narrow width must be out simultaneously from a body of suoli' size to make .the angle oiiout 45.

The cutting is done continuously' on a tubular body of indefinite length and the result is a strip Svor a plurality of strips s having the length othefbedy having at equally spaced intervals preformed strong joints crossing the strip diagonally, as showrrin Figs. e and 5.

These stripsfare then processed to flatten, smooth'and'grainthe cement which has exuded tofcfthe. eoa-ted,.susfaee as shown at I in Fig. 6. If necessary, additional cement may be applied toesuppiement the quantity 1. However, this is generally not -required.. It is sufficient to heat 01:. aaien. the: 1 cement: 'is to.- sofi'em it. and'. then. to passa it.; underf` al` g'izaining; .tooicon a. .bniiing.ii'z'nple'el whibltwiliatten it voutv and 'merge itaintof the similarly constituted originally appliediooat` ing.' oitheli'abric.. resuit. is af. pactieallyiiiiconspicuous joint-0111. the. coated;- surface: of tlies strip. Thisiisstheiiinatproduct..

actual practise thea jointl is. rnushzflatter: than is; indicated; in` Fig.. the-coating. l' isfinnel. thinner; and: less; notieeable.. The?. shem- Eig.Y Si has. been deliberately distortedi'to: nrale clear.: tire-` several: eompnnentsaoi.: the. joint. theirxrelationship tot eaehother. In. aotuai. practice there. is no; sparse between the: body.;A of. the;- iabria and the?A turned-oven; ma1zgi1ise.5,. and'. the: semental. on .the coatedisider. Sdoes .notq prof jeetabove theflevel @tithe-.original coatingfotzthe body; of theiiabrimbutxnas .itsf surface the' samey planelasth'atooating..

Eig.. Gthef dotted. line: it isdntended: toxclesz-A ignaie thef original coating. oi; the faisais-Where ithasnnt been: covered4 or displaced. by. oizimergedf with the,l cement coating' mnteriali ire thei regionfo the joint.. Thai-coatings? andi. Ii'ai'ef shown: difierentlyzte distinguish .then'irinithe.l iig.`

une.. Actually. they are. indistinguishablei in; plane,-. appearance and: texturas' beeansef they aef thetsameakin'd ofmaterial; andiibe'oauset tiienewly= applied material. l; is rubbed: down to kthe leiten oli the :original coating iLand'is; grained: orotheui wise? texturedilinthesanieznianner; and: the: kind; 01E-tool orV other: implement; sis-waa used; irunishing and' decorating: the: origini/alj coaizin'gzwheri'thefabriei twas made;

Thesstrin product.: thusha's; theaappearanneinf; ai singieiintegnal .uniformlyebiaswoueni swipe-andi it'. basi practically.` tsree saineptensi'le. strengittinim the joints as it has in its body betweemth'eljointss. Iniaotualruse; toa fabricate Weltsg. gimps-g; bindings, ete;,.th.ef strip is subjected-:to nos appiieeiable item1 silea stresses. However,- .itis: important .that-the; joints` ber premie against laterali.sliiitingA off.' the seginentspr; lengths ,1 of Vstripe.'which.'they.l unita; and. .this' 'preventioinoii-.lateral .shifting isa excels" lentlyattained f by: the stimhing; in combination-f witte-the. yhardenedasement.awhiohills the: stilisti;-l ingzandLoverliesxthe-iioint.

l.' A strip oil coated: fabri'o offindeiiite length# andfrelatively-f narifowi-w-idtlifhaving a bias-wotfe1r textile, baseoomprisingf. plural-ity offseetionsf arranged endi torend: and` connected? by-'J"oints-l each extending'obliqueiangulanlyaciioss thee strip andizoompnising; thextwoi endfmarginsi ofitheftwoi adjacent vsections,each` reverselyfoldedover. onto;

and adhesively secured to the body of the section of which it is a part, with a line of stitching connecting the strips at the fold line where each margin merges with the body of its section, and with a single continuous coating of adhesive covering the line of stitching and the adjacent margins and the adjacent zones of the sections.

2. A strip of coated fabric of indenite length and relatively narrow width having a bias woven textile base comprising a plurality of sections arranged end to end and connected by joints each extending oblique angularly across the strip and comprising the two end margins of the two adjacent sections each reversely folded over onto and adhesively secured to the body of the section of which it is a part, with a line of stitching connecting the strips at the fold line Where each margin merges with the body of the section, with a single continuous coating of adhesive covering the line of stitching and the adjacent margins and the adjacent zones of the sections, and with coating material like that of the coated fabric filling and concealing the crevice formed by the joint in the opposite surface of the fabric.

3. A strip of fabric of indefinite length and relatively narrow width having a bias woven textile base coated on one surface comprising a plurality of sections arranged end to end and connected by joints each extending oblique angularly across the strip and comprising the two end margins of the two adjacent sections each reversely folded over onto and having its uncoated surface adhesively secured to the uncoated surface of the body of the section of which it is a part, with a line of stitching connecting the strips at the fold line where each margin merges with the body of the section, and with a single continuous coating of adhesive covering the line of stitching and the adjacent margins and the adjacent zones of the sections.

4. A strip of fabric of indefinite length and relatively narrow width having a bias woven textile base coated on one surface comprising a plurality of sections arranged end to end connected by joints each extending oblique angularly across the strip and comprising the two end margins of the two adjacent sections each reversely folded over onto and having its uncoated surface adhesively secured to the uncoated surface of the body of the section of which it is a part, with a line of stitching connecting the strips at the fold line where each margin merges with the body of the section, with a single'continuous coating of adhesive covering the line of stitching and the adjacent margins and the adjacent zones of the sections, and with coating material like that of the coated fabric filling and concealing the crevice formed by the joint in the coated surface of the fabric.

HERMAN P. WELCH.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 893,300 Bewsic July 14, 1908 1,375,283 Dunbar Apr. 19, 1921 2,059,792 Hill Nov. 3, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 296,189 Great Britain Aug. 30, 1928 

